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Panasonic and Samsung announce 4K Blu-ray players

Panasonic and Samsung have both launched 4K UHD Blu-ray players at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas.

Both models will be available in the US later this year, but there is no news yet on when the products will hit the UK. Pricing is also still to be confirmed.

Panasonic said its DMP-UB900 model (pictured) would support HDR (High Dynamic Range) and the BT.2020 wide colour gamut.

The UB900 features a new 4K high-precision chroma processor that is equipped with imaging technologies such as chroma processing and high gradation processing that have been refined by the Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL) Blu-ray R&D facility.

It also supports high-resolution audio formats such as DSD and ALAC. Panasonic plans for the UB900 to also support 4K VOD (Video on Demand) services.

Samsung’s first 4K Blu-ray player – the UBD-K850o – is available for pre-order in the US now and will go on sale in March. It has a sleek, curved design and features built-in upscaling technology that enhances the picture quality from standard Blu-ray discs and DVDs. Consumers can also use it to play CDs

Samsung has partnered with Hollywood studios to ensure consumers have a selection of Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. This year, 20th Century Fox is said to be releasing more than 100 4K Ultra HD discs with HDR, including films like The Martian and Peanuts.